Where is the Santa Maria going? Geoff told me that you’re the guy in charge up here.”
“Can’t you fucking read?” Robert was getting angry in his desperation, “Ionen Prime, just access the mainframe. It’ll tell you.”
“I did, but didn’t your mother ever tell you not to believe all you read? Ionen Prime, huh?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
Alan threw Robert back into his seat so hard that it floated back a few feet on its anti-grav field.
“If it’s going to Ionen Prime then what the hell are these?” Alan took the pen-like implement out of his pocket again, depressed a button on its side and grabbed a piece of paper off Robert’s desk. He ran the pen across the paper and the numbers that Lloyd had called up on his computer screen were reproduced in a neat line. Robert looked at the numbers and frowned.
“The Santa Maria ’s destination coordinates,” Alan qualified. “Since when was Ionen Prime beyond charted space?”
“How did you get those figures? The coordinates for Wyatt’s mission were…” Robert stopped, realizing he was incriminating himself.
“Confidential,” Alan finished for him. “You know something.” Alan’s face hardened. “Don’t screw around with me, Robert. Where is the Santa Maria going?”
Robert straightened his tie. “I…I don’t know the details. I was just told to brief Wyatt when he was here and not let him out of my sight.”
Alan lunged for Robert again but missed. He stood threateningly over Robert’s desk. “Just tell me where Wyatt’s being sent.”
“The ship is destined for a location beyond Centari Red 603. I don’t know where that…” he pointed to the coordinates, “…is exactly.” Robert looked at his watch, “But you won’t be able to stop the launch now. There’s not enough time.”
Alan looked at his watch. There was only an hour and a quarter before Wyatt’s scheduled launch. He glared at Robert before turning and striding out of his office. Robert walked to the door and shouted down the corridor after him. “You can’t stop it, Alan. It’s too late.” But Alan was already out of sight.
* * * * *
“What do you know?” Alan asked between breaths as he re-took his seat next to Lloyd.
“Well, those coordinates we looked up are…”
“Beyond the Centari sector,” Alan finished, “Yes, yes. I know. Robert told me as much. Did you find anything else?”
“Yeah. The CSETI have numerous classified documents on that location, of which I was able to access a few. It seems they sent out a search-and-rescue craft to pick up the crew of a stranded mining ship.”
“And?”
Lloyd sighed. “The CSETI won’t touch the place anymore.” He stopped and looked Alan square in the face. “No one came back, Alan. No one at all.”
Alan said nothing, just rose from his chair.
“There’s more you should hear. I checked out all the details of the Santa Maria for you as well. She’s provisioned and powered for a routine flight to Ionen Prime, just as the computer suggests it should be. So the crew won’t suspect anything. The thing is, Ionen Prime is well within charted space and the place they’re destined for, as you quite rightly guessed, is not. Even if Wyatt and his crew want to come back, they can’t. They simply don’t have enough power. They’re being dumped, Alan. Dropped on a little piece of hell and left there.”
“It’s Mannheim,” Alan whispered. “Mannheim’s behind all of this.” He turned and walked to the door.
“Where are you going?” Lloyd asked.
Alan turned to look back at him, his face sad. “I have to stop that launch,” he said, “or at least I have to try.” He turned away and disappeared out of the door.
* * * * *
Alan ran down the corridor, his heart pounding, speeding the flow of adrenaline around his body. His mind was racing. He realized he couldn’t stop the launch sequence now, it was too advanced, so he was
“Can’t you fucking read?” Robert was getting angry in his desperation, “Ionen Prime, just access the mainframe. It’ll tell you.”
“I did, but didn’t your mother ever tell you not to believe all you read? Ionen Prime, huh?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
Alan threw Robert back into his seat so hard that it floated back a few feet on its anti-grav field.
“If it’s going to Ionen Prime then what the hell are these?” Alan took the pen-like implement out of his pocket again, depressed a button on its side and grabbed a piece of paper off Robert’s desk. He ran the pen across the paper and the numbers that Lloyd had called up on his computer screen were reproduced in a neat line. Robert looked at the numbers and frowned.
“The Santa Maria ’s destination coordinates,” Alan qualified. “Since when was Ionen Prime beyond charted space?”
“How did you get those figures? The coordinates for Wyatt’s mission were…” Robert stopped, realizing he was incriminating himself.
“Confidential,” Alan finished for him. “You know something.” Alan’s face hardened. “Don’t screw around with me, Robert. Where is the Santa Maria going?”
Robert straightened his tie. “I…I don’t know the details. I was just told to brief Wyatt when he was here and not let him out of my sight.”
Alan lunged for Robert again but missed. He stood threateningly over Robert’s desk. “Just tell me where Wyatt’s being sent.”
“The ship is destined for a location beyond Centari Red 603. I don’t know where that…” he pointed to the coordinates, “…is exactly.” Robert looked at his watch, “But you won’t be able to stop the launch now. There’s not enough time.”
Alan looked at his watch. There was only an hour and a quarter before Wyatt’s scheduled launch. He glared at Robert before turning and striding out of his office. Robert walked to the door and shouted down the corridor after him. “You can’t stop it, Alan. It’s too late.” But Alan was already out of sight.
* * * * *
“What do you know?” Alan asked between breaths as he re-took his seat next to Lloyd.
“Well, those coordinates we looked up are…”
“Beyond the Centari sector,” Alan finished, “Yes, yes. I know. Robert told me as much. Did you find anything else?”
“Yeah. The CSETI have numerous classified documents on that location, of which I was able to access a few. It seems they sent out a search-and-rescue craft to pick up the crew of a stranded mining ship.”
“And?”
Lloyd sighed. “The CSETI won’t touch the place anymore.” He stopped and looked Alan square in the face. “No one came back, Alan. No one at all.”
Alan said nothing, just rose from his chair.
“There’s more you should hear. I checked out all the details of the Santa Maria for you as well. She’s provisioned and powered for a routine flight to Ionen Prime, just as the computer suggests it should be. So the crew won’t suspect anything. The thing is, Ionen Prime is well within charted space and the place they’re destined for, as you quite rightly guessed, is not. Even if Wyatt and his crew want to come back, they can’t. They simply don’t have enough power. They’re being dumped, Alan. Dropped on a little piece of hell and left there.”
“It’s Mannheim,” Alan whispered. “Mannheim’s behind all of this.” He turned and walked to the door.
“Where are you going?” Lloyd asked.
Alan turned to look back at him, his face sad. “I have to stop that launch,” he said, “or at least I have to try.” He turned away and disappeared out of the door.
* * * * *
Alan ran down the corridor, his heart pounding, speeding the flow of adrenaline around his body. His mind was racing. He realized he couldn’t stop the launch sequence now, it was too advanced, so he was
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